The invention is particularly concerned with the domain of automobile racing in which it is sometimes necessary to proceed with filling the fuel tank of a vehicle during a race, such filling having to take place under optimum safety conditions and in a minimum of time.
The equipment used up to the present time does not offer sufficient guarantees as to safety. In effect, it proves to be subject to leakages, which involves considerable risks of fire insofar as the motor of the racing vehicle often operates at very high temperature. In addition, the known equipment is heavy and relatively difficult to manipulate, this involving a relatively long time to fill the tank which may appreciably penalize the competitor during the race.
A particular risk of this type of equipment is that the operator in charge of filling a tank may attempt to pour fuel while the filling element in his hand is not correctly connected to the corresponding connector provided on the vehicle.
It is a more particular object of the invention to overcome these drawbacks by proposing a novel device for filling a vehicle tank with liquid fuel, whose use is securitized, while it allows flow with a high flowrate compatible with those desired, in particular, in the domain of automobile races.
In this spirit, the invention relates to a device for filling a vehicle tank with liquid fuel, this device comprising a connector on-board the vehicle, connected to the tank at least via a pouring conduit and provided with a closure valve, and a filling element adapted to be connected on this connector. This device is characterized in that the filling element is provided with at least one member for detecting the abutment of the filling element on a fixed part of the connector, this detection member being adapted to control the displacement of a hook for locking the filling element on the connector, between a first position where the hook is disengaged with respect to the connector and a second position where the hook is in engagement on this connector.
Thanks to the invention, the passage of the locking hook from its disengaged position towards its position in engagement on the connector occurs as a function of the detection of the abutment of the filling element on the connector, this avoiding errors of manipulation insofar as, as long as the abutment is not correct, the locking hook cannot attain its second position.
According to advantageous but non-obligatory aspects of the invention, a tank filling device may incorporate one or more of the following characteristics, taken in any technically admissible combination:                A plurality of detection members are distributed around a central axis of the filling element, each being adapted to control a locking hook        The or each detection member is in the form of a finger mobile in translation in a direction substantially parallel to a central axis of the filling element.        The or each locking hook is adapted to prevent the displacement of a locking ring when it is not in engagement with the connector, this ring itself being adapted to prevent the displacement of a control member forming part of the filling element and mobile, with respect to the body of this element, parallel to a central axis of this element.        The locking ring is adapted to surround the or each hook and possibly a part of the connector when this or these hook(s) is or are in the second position mentioned above.        The kinematic linkage between the locking ring and the control member is a function of the position of the member with respect to the body of the filling element. In that case, an element for blocking the relative movement of the locking ring and of the control member is advantageously provided, this blocking element being received in a housing made to that end, of which the ring is adapted to be partially engaged, or not, in a housing made to that end in the control member.        The filling element comprises a slide in the form of a tubular sleeve adapted to come into abutment against an O-ring provided on an inner radial surface of the connector, the displacement of the slide with respect to the body of the filling element being controlled by the afore-mentioned control member. The kinematic linkage between the slide and the control member may be provided to be a function of the position of this member with respect to the body of the filling element.        The connector is provided with an outer peripheral groove for receiving a part of the locking hook or hooks when it is or they are in the second position mentioned above.        The connector is connected to the tank by a fuel flow conduit and by a gaseous phase circulation conduit, while a mobile member is adapted to pass, within this connector, from a first configuration where the mobile member allows a fluidic communication between these conduits and a second configuration where this member isolates these conduits from each other. The mobile member is advantageously adapted to be displaced from its first towards its second configuration by a part of the filling element. In that case, the mobile member may be provided to be displaceable from its first towards its second configuration by a pusher element fast with the control member and adapted to push the valve of the connector against elastic closure means, this valve itself being adapted to displace this mobile member.        The filling element forms two conduits dedicated respectively to the flow of fuel towards the tank and for the circulation of gaseous phase coming from the tank, while the connector is itself connected to the tank by two conduits respectively dedicated to the flow of fuel and to the circulation of gaseous phase, the fuel flow conduits being adapted to be fluidically connected, while the gaseous phase circulation conduits are adapted to be fluidically connected.        The movements of those parts of the filling element which are mobile with respect to the body of this element are controlled by at least one handle articulated on this body about an axis substantially orthogonal to the direction of displacement of this mobile part. In that case, this handle is advantageously equipped with a roller for transmission of effort to one of these mobile parts, this roller being received, with possibility of displacement, in a housing of corresponding shape, made in this mobile part.        Means are provided for elastic return of at least certain of the parts of the filling element mobile with respect to its body and/or of at least certain of the parts of the connector mobile with respect to the fixed part mentioned above, these return means pushing these mobile parts towards a configuration of closure and of separation of the filling element and of the connector.        